


Choices

by KurtsAnatomy (TheSwanOfWinterfell)



Category: Glee, How to Get Away with Murder
Genre: Bottom Kurt, Connor and Laurel Are Best Friends, F/M, Kurt And Laurel Are Epic, M/M, Minor Annalise Keating/Sam Keating, Not Asher Friendly, Not Blaine Friendly, Not Klaine Friendly, Not Michaela Friendly, Not Rebecca Friendly, Not Wes Friendly, Past Klaine, Smut, Top Connor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-07
Updated: 2016-09-07
Packaged: 2018-04-30 11:00:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5161274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSwanOfWinterfell/pseuds/KurtsAnatomy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Connor Walsh needs to impress Annalise Keating after his mistake loses her a case. His next new source of information turns out to be a lot more than that. Kurt Hummel brings new feelings to Connor's attention as well as a secret that should never be unravelled.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Assistance

As much as Connor Walsh _loathed_ asking people for help, he wasn’t beneath doing so when he needed to. And with Annalise Keating practically breathing down his neck waiting for him to slip up after receiving the trophy, he needed to impress. He was charming, but not in the way that Michaela was. Connor often capitalised on his conventional good looks. Sometimes they were enough; sometimes they weren’t. It was pretty much a roll of the dice. The dice of personality. If the guy (or girl, on occasion) was shallow enough or drunk enough, Connor’s slicked back hair and smirk would be enough to gain himself the advantage and request anything he wanted. If not, then he would resort to compliments. He was sure that the other members of the Keating Five were doing the same thing. He knew that Laurel and Michaela were, that was a given, but Connor doubted whether Asher and Wes had the smooth tact that he possessed. Asher was a tight ball of awkward whereas Wes was too much of a puppy to think about deception. Or perhaps Connor was misjudging them. He didn’t think so, but it was possible.

Annalise had briefed them with a store manager accused of shooting a customer on allegedly racial grounds. It was the task of the Keating Five to investigate and find evidence that the racial motivation was in fact there. If he could do that, he would score major points with Annalise. As confident as Connor himself was, Annalise terrified _everybody_. Everybody.

He found his answer in the guy tipping back vodka shots on his own at the bar. Store employee Kurt Hummel. Connor stretched his smirk into its rightful place and swaggered over to the bar, thanking whoever he felt like that he was wearing his tighter pants today. He would need them.

“Is this seat taken?” He asked politely enough, causing Kurt’s head to turn. Connor had never seen this boy before, but he was definitely glad that he had been given the opportunity to.

Kurt looked at him, taking in the view and placed his shot glass onto the bar in front of him. “That depends. Are you secretly married?”

A shake of the head.

“Looking for a drug mule?”

“Straight?” Kurt smirked.

“ _Definitely_ not,” Connor perched himself on the seat and ordered two more vodka shots. “Looks like you’re drinking away your night. I would be glad to join you, to lend an ear…or to be a bedfellow. I don’t mind which.”

“Thanks for the drink. Tell me something…”

“Connor Walsh.”

“Kurt Hummel. Tell me something, Connor. Do you have an ex that screwed you over and made you feel like nothing would ever be the same afterwards? Did he tear your heart into a thousand pieces?”

Connor winced at the harsh words, thinking of the face that he swore to himself that he would never bring up again. Ever.

“I do. What did yours do?”

“He proposed to me,” Kurt coughed out after another shot. Connor was impressed with his eloquence given the level of alcohol in his system. He put that down to good tolerance levels.

“How dare he?” Connor pretended to gasp.

Kurt slapped his arm. “Shut up. I wasn’t finished. He proposed to me, setting up this elaborate surprise in the park for me. I said yes, naturally. When you’re in love, you tend to want to get engaged. So anyway, we go out for a celebration dinner at this fancy restaurant and everything is perfect.”

“Let me guess,” Connor interjected. “Did you catch him fellating a random stranger in the restroom?”

Kurt snorted. “I wish that happened. No, the dinner went perfectly. Good food, he paid, you know the score. Anyway, we get back to our place and there’s a naked woman in our bed. Naturally, I’m confused and a little bit repulsed. And then she’s all like “Oh, is tonight not good for you, babe?” and that’s when I realise. He’s been hitting some whore on the side. And she comes over expecting sex on our engagement night. So I left, breaking it off.”

“Yet you’re still wearing the ring…”

Kurt looked down, shrugging. “Huh, I guess I am. Oh my god, I’m a mess. Look at me. Spilling my soul to a guy I’ve just met. I’m wasted and alone. I must look so dishevelled right now.”

Connor had never disagreed harder with anything in his life. Even inebriated and sad, Kurt looked flawless, like a newly polished gemstone. “If this is your dishevelled look, I can’t even imagine what you look like when you’re making an effort.”

“You’re sweet,” Kurt remarked. “But I _just_ broke off my engagement.”

Connor tutted. “You think I’m that guy?”

“Apologies. My expectations of guys right now are at an all-time low.”

Connor shrugged. “I don’t blame you. That guy sounds like an ass. Clearly he doesn’t appreciate quality.”

“Yeah, just quantity. Apparently, he failed to mention the bisexual part of his life. And the adulterous part. I would have been fine with his bisexuality because that wouldn’t have been about me.”

“Until it’s revealed that he’s sleeping with a girl.”

“Bingo,” Kurt hiccupped. “So what brings you here? No hot date tonight?”

Connor smirked. “I like to think that you’re my hot date for the evening.”

“This isn’t a date, cowboy. I’m spilling my drunken secrets after breaking off an engagement. You’re a hot mysterious stranger buying me drinks. This isn’t a date. I’ll repeat. What brings you here?”

“I’m new here. Trying out a new spot to hang out.”

“I wondered why I’ve never seen you before. Now _you_ I think I would remember.”

Connor adjusted his position on the chair. “And why is that?”

“Oh, come _on_ , Connor,” Kurt slurred. “Don’t make out like you don’t know you’re probably the most attractive person in this town. Probably in the country.”

“Are you always this forthcoming or is it the alcohol?”

Kurt shrugged exaggeratedly. “Do you always deflect compliments?”

“Not always. Next time we hang out you can compliment me all you like.”

Kurt eyed him pointedly. “There’s going to be a next time?”

“Is there any reason why there wouldn’t be?”

“Not that I can think of,” Kurt said.

“Alright then. We’ve established that there is going to be a next time. As for right now…what do you do?”

“I work at a store.”

“Oh, the one across the street?” Connor segued.

Kurt narrowed his eyes and frowned. “Why does it matter?”

And then he figured it out. Sober, Kurt would have figured it out immediately, but his drunken, grieving heart leapt at the opportunity to talk to a hot guy who _wanted to talk to him_. Instantly, he knew why exactly Connor was talking to him.

“You’re a cop. Or a detective or some shit. You want to talk to me about the shooting. Well, I’m sorry if I’ve ruined your evening, but I’m not talking about that. It was hard enough to witness, never mind be grilled about it by a guy who talks to me under false pretences. Just go, Connor.”

“Kurt, you don’t have to talk about it. I’m not a cop. I’m in law school. I’ve been hired by Annalise Keating and she’s taking the case.”

“So you knew who I was when you came over here?”

Connor nodded, wincing.

“Fantastic! Apparently I attract guys who don’t tell me the whole truth. I just get the portions that they don’t mind revealing. How lucky I am!”

“I knew who you were. I knew your name, but that was it. I didn’t expect to enjoy your company so much.”

“Oh, save it for court! As of now, I am going _home_. And I hope not to see you here again anytime soon.”

Connor thought of something. “Where are you staying? I thought you left your fiancé?”

Kurt huffed. “You’re right. I kinda just stormed out. I didn’t get my things. And I don’t want to go back there and see him fucking her.”

“I—.”

“But that doesn’t mean I’m going to go home with you.”

Connor appraised him evenly. “I’m not trying to be harsh, Kurt, but do you have anywhere else to go?”

Kurt looked down at his shoes and shook his head. “No.”

“Well, it’s settled. You’re not wandering the streets all night. You’re coming back home with me. We won’t do anything, but you need to sleep off this hangover. Do you have work tomorrow?”

“I got laid off,” Kurt admitted and Connor wondered when this guy was going to catch a break. First a store shooting, a breakup, and then a dismissal from work. “Apparently, Liz needs all of her money to pay your boss. That includes using my salary. So I’m single and unemployed. At least I’m drunk.”

Connor chuckled and tilted his head. “You’re in no fit state to walk, Kurt, but it’s only two blocks away so I don’t justify calling a cab. Do you want me to carry you bridal style or on my back?”

“I can walk!” Kurt protested weakly, trying to jump from his seat and stumbling.

“Clearly,” Connor drawled. “Bridal style or on my back, Kurt?”

“I suppose being carried on your back is less humiliating. But no fireman’s lifting. That makes us seem like that BDSM couple. You know, you being the Dom heading back to punish the naughty Sub.”

Connor blinked at the boy’s logic but a smile stretched across his face anyway. “You won’t be punished.”

“I might like it.”

“I thought we weren’t going to have sex?”

Kurt shrugged. “Just get me somewhere I can vomit and still retain my dignity.”

And Connor, with a nod that would begin a long chain of events involving Kurt Hummel, obliged.


	2. Any Regrets?

When Kurt woke up, he strongly wished that he hadn’t.

His head felt like somebody had just dropped a shit ton of bricks on it. His stomach turned nauseatingly and all of his muscles were on fire, like he had just wrestled a bear.

“Blaine?” He mumbled, thinking that his new fiancé would have the answers to why he was the epitome of trailer trash right now.

“Morning!” An enthusiastic voice cried happily.

 _Go the hell away,_ Kurt thought. _Who is trying their hardest to ruin his morning? And where is Blaine?_

“Kurt, seriously, get up.”

_That’s not Blaine._

“Where is Blaine?”

“Blaine, who’s Blaine?”

Before opening his eyes, Kurt giggled. He debated several possibilities, ranging from wild theories like a dream or that he had lost his memory and Blaine had moved on.

Blaine…had…moved…on.

Those words rang in his ears.

Kurt opened his eyes.

“Good morning, gorgeous,” The voice spoke again. Kurt thought that he recognised it, but he wasn’t so sure.

“Who the hell are you and why are you making unnecessary noise?”

A laugh.

“This is not funny. I have a hangover.”

“Considering that you almost drank the bartender out of house and home last night, I’m not at all surprised by this.”

Kurt wanted to glare at the man making all the noise, but his head hurt way too much to even move. “Seriously. Who are you?”

“The name’s Connor. Walsh. And I’m surprised you don’t remember me. You said that I was the most attractive man in the country.”

Kurt paled and not because of impending vomit. He always said the most embarrassing things when he was wasted. It was how he and Blaine began speaking to each other. He had told him years and years ago that he thought the man’s bowtie was “absurdly adorable but in need of modernisation” and had said it pretty loud. Blaine had apparently found it endearing.

“We didn’t…Did we?”

Connor simply smirked. Kurt didn’t remember him so he could at least tease him a little. It was what he deserved. Well, not really but Connor liked having fun messing with people sometimes.

“Oh my God. What’s Blaine going to say?” Kurt looked at the ring on his finger, sparkling in the morning light.

Connor had heard the name more times in this very morning than he had in his entire life. He glanced at Kurt pointedly before he realised who Blaine actually was.

Kurt had told him the story of his broken engagement, causing him to be at the local bar to drink away his problems and bathe them in alcohol.

“Kurt, we didn’t have sex. Do you know why?”

Kurt did, but he didn’t want to say it. Unfortunately, he had to. “Blaine. I left him. Oh God, I’m so stupid, why did I do that?”

Connor just stared. This Blaine still had Kurt wrapped around his little finger, even though he was an adulterous liar. Connor found himself getting increasingly furious at him, even though he had never even met him before in his life. “Do you not remember?”

Kurt shook his head. “No, I guess I just—.”

When really trying to think hard about it, Kurt remembered. He remembered the elation from being newly engaged, the feelings of love that he felt for Blaine and then…the woman lying naked where he slept every day, asking Blaine if she had picked the wrong day to come over.

Then Kurt remembered the fury and the sorrow, so potent, spinning in and out of each other. He remembered the intense need to forget. Which was precisely what he did.

“He was cheating. With a woman.”

“And you wanted to drown your sorrows.”

Slowly, it came back. “And you’re the rookie lawyer looking for information about my job. Well, my former job.”

Connor smiled apologetically and perched on the bed. “Look, I’ll admit that I sought you out for information. But after actually meeting you, I’ll get my information somewhere else. I don’t care if I lose the stupid trophy.”

“Trophy?”

“Oh, right. Annalise, my boss, hands out a trophy to one promising student in order to basically skip an exam if we’re not thoroughly prepared. She gave it to me after our first class and she threatened to give it to somebody else if I don’t maintain my exceptionality. Her words.”

Kurt groaned. “No words longer than ten letters, please. At least not until I’ve had coffee. Then I can verbally spar with the best of them.”

“Good thing I came prepared,” Connor smirked and retrieved the Americano he had purchased for Kurt on his daily coffee run.

“Oh, you’re a saint. Americano. How did you know?”

Connor shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. I have a knack for reading people’s coffee orders.”

“That’s a useful gift.”

A few minutes passed by and Kurt had drained the contents of his cup, his memory and clarity returning to him quite quickly. The pain of Blaine’s adultery was still fresh in his heart like a razorblade tearing at his walls. He remembered a few things about the night before, including meeting Connor and, unfortunately, the comment about him being the most attractive man in the country. He regretted that, though he wasn’t sure he was entirely wrong about the fact. Kurt spent some quiet time looking at the man, memorising the features of his face unconsciously. He also unwillingly noticed the few similarities between Connor and Blaine, making everything so much more vivid.

“Listen, I have to report to Annalise before classes start. I hate to run out on you, but you can stay here for as long as you like.”

Kurt was slightly disappointed, but couldn’t figure out exactly why he felt the way he did. “Connor, wait a second.”

Connor frowned. “What’s up?”

“I…I need to repay you for letting me stay here.”

“This isn’t a motel, Kurt. You didn’t put me out or anything.” Connor fidgeted, tugging on his tie.

“So you don’t want any information on the shooting?” Kurt’s lips curled slightly.

Connor raised an eyebrow, surprised at Kurt’s willingness to divulge the information. Perhaps sober Kurt was more generous, Connor wasn’t sure. “Maybe you did impose a little.”

“I thought so.”

“Did you see it take place?”

Kurt chuckled. “Wow, you don’t waste any time, do you?”

“You’ll come to learn that about me.”

“I did see it, yes. It’s not something you just erase from your mind. Liz was dealing with the customer and he asked for Marlboro Reds but she was all out. The new stock wouldn’t arrive until the next day. The man, he…well he used the ‘n’ word on her and started making threats about trashing the place. He also said that he would go as far as making sure she didn’t stop him from getting what he wanted. He looked at her in a way that clearly made her uncomfortable. I knew that the gun was under the counter for if she ever needed it, but I never thought she would. We don’t usually get much trouble. Anyway, he continued making noise about getting his cigarettes and started cursing and making more threats. He got up in her face and went to grab her when she stepped back and fired the gun.”

Kurt couldn’t stop the sluggish flow of tears trickle down his face like a reluctant waterfall, the marks of weakness staining his face prominently enough for Connor to notice and put a soothing hand on his knee. “I’m sorry, Connor. I’m not usually weepy.”

“Kurt, you saw something truly traumatic. You saw the life being drained from someone’s eyes. That’s not an easy thing to recover from, believe me.” Connor picked at imaginary lint on his sleeve.

“You’ve seen… _that_ before?”

Connor coughed. “No, I haven’t. I just meant that studying the law means you basically know what it feels like, seeing the pictures and crime scene photos and all that. Kurt, are you willing to testify?”

“Anything to help Liz. And if it helps you along the way, then that’s not a bad thing.”

Connor smirked. “Thank you, Kurt. If I miss an exam because of your help, I’ll spend the day treating you to whatever you want.”

Kurt appraised the immaculately dressed man curiously. “Whatever I want…well, that could be interesting to say the least.”

“Hey now, when you reach a stage in your post-breakup period where you need that, all you have to do is ask. Well, don’t ask… _demand_. I promise you, I won’t turn it down. Now, I do _really_ have to run. Annalise is going to lynch me if I’m late. The spare key is on the table if you leave. There’s a gap beneath the door so you can just slide it through after you lock up. I’ll see you, Kurt.”

As the door slammed, Kurt marvelled at how weird the day was turning out to be. His engagement was down the drain, probably reaching the stage of shortest engagement ever, and he woke up hungover in the guest bed of a law student and was invited to hang out there for the day. Kurt didn’t have anywhere else to go, so he had no reason to leave, really. He did want to shower though, but he would have to borrow a full selection of Connor’s clothes for that. Perhaps he would, that was kind of hot when he thought about it. Kurt wondered if he _should_ be thinking about wearing Connor’s clothes when he was supposed to be mourning his relationship. Mourning had quickly turned to spitefulness and rage and Kurt had no room for shedding tears over his cheating ex-fiancé. What kind of weak person had Kurt almost become?

He didn’t know and he certainly didn’t want to find out.

* * *

Connor slipped into Annalise’s law office, praying that he wasn’t the last one to arrive.

As luck would have it, he was.

He was greeted with Annalise’s bored and unamused tones. “Mr. Walsh, I hope you were late because you found me something to work with.”

Connor was ecstatic that Kurt had told his story. Asher’s smug grin could suck it. Well, not _it_ because that was rude and pretty gross. But a metaphorical _it_. “Actually, I spent my time acquiring an eye-witness who can prove racial motive. Consider this case closed.”

Annalise seemed to be searching for ways to continue being unimpressed, but she seemed pleased that he had gotten a witness. “Good work, Connor. The rest of you have some catching up to do, it seems. Maybe you could learn a thing or two from Mr. Walsh.”

Asher let out some kind of alien grunt before sitting and reading through the case files once more. Wes gave Connor a curious look before striking up a conversation with Michaela about god knows what. Laurel approached him.

Laurel Castillo was probably his best friend. Connor didn’t necessarily _do_ friends, apart from when he found that he genuinely liked someone. He had absolutely no time for Asher Millstone, who grinded his gears whenever he spoke. Wes Gibbins was shier than he usually preferred, though he seemed to be a stand-up guy with good intentions, if a little bit annoying because of that. Michaela Pratt was the exact opposite. She was fiery, self-assured and Connor wondered why she didn’t get the trophy. Laurel, however, appeared timid but had a wealth of sass and confidence under the selective veneer she carried around with her. The girl was gorgeous and had caught Annalise’s assistant Frank’s eye right off the bat. From his first conversation with her, Connor immediately spotted the real her, the one that she hid from the rest of the Keating Five in order to trigger their underestimation of her.

“Do I even want to know how you ‘acquired’ this witness?”

Connor grinned smugly at her. “I’ll have you know, _Laurel_ , that I did not sleep with him. I know. I’m shocked and proud of me too.”

Laurel laughed, bemused and also impressed. “Was he straight?”

“ _Absolutely_ not.”

“So what stopped you? You’re usually game for tapping pretty much anyone.”

“He was drowning his sorrows. He just broke off an engagement.”

Laurel sighed. “That’s awful. I’m surprised he didn’t just hop into your bed anyway.”

Connor found himself feeling defensive of Kurt, though he didn’t know where it had come from. He wasn’t _attached_ to Kurt or anything, he was just hot and pretty funny to talk to. So why was he about to snap at Laurel for judging him? Connor certainly had no idea. He restrained himself a little, though got his point across anyway.

“Kurt isn’t like that. He has class. Though he spent the night, we were in completely different rooms.”

Laurel stifled a giggle. “ _Kurt?_ Oh, Walsh, you so have feelings for this one. You sound totally boring and domesticated.”

Connor shook his head. “I do _not_ have feelings for him. I met him like ten hours ago. I am never boring and I do not do domestication. Now if you don’t breathe a word of this to the others, I’ll invite you to join my study group for Property.”

“Okay. Deal,” Laurel nodded as she thought about it, “but I want to meet him. Outside of the courtroom, obviously.”

Connor scowled at her. “That sounds awful.”

“Well, I might just go and talk to Michaela and Asher about how couple-y you are with your new boyfriend.”

“I hate you, Castillo. Fine, we’ll all go out sometime. Just keep that mouth zipped. Unless you’re opening it to pleasure Frank, now that I approve of.”

Laurel blushed and her face hardened. “I guess I deserved that. But I am not getting into anything with Frank, okay?”

“Now who’s boring? Frank’s hot, Laurel. I’d tap that.”

“So what’s stopping you?”

“His preference for all things estrogenic.”

Laurel snorted. “That is _so_ not a word.”

“It totally is,” Connor laughed as Annalise heading towards them, probably about to yell at them for occupying the hallway. Annalise was going to court to get an extension so that she could prep the witness for testimony.

Connor and Laurel slipped out of the way and nodded curtly. Annalise stopped in her tracks.

“While I’m gone, why don’t you all review your oral homework presentations? God knows you need the extra practise.”

The Keating Five exchanged glances as the door was closing.

Asher frowned. “Did she just subtly tell us to have an oral orgy?”

“In your dreams, Millstone,” Michaela scoffed.

Laurel smirked and leaned over towards Connor. “Maybe we should wait until _Kurt_ is here to start that orgy…”

Connor rolled his eyes as Michaela looked at them curiously. Instead of sparring with Laurel or answering Michaela’s unanswered question, Connor tried to actually go over his presentation for the class, interrupted by the image of Kurt’s face flitting in and out of his thought process.

He saw Kurt’s angelic face as he slept soundly. He saw Kurt’s ass as he lifted him on his shoulder. He saw the grateful and surprised smile when Connor offered him coffee. He saw all things Kurt, just knowing that the other man was going to settle into his bloodstream and invade everything in his life until he was completely consumed by thoughts of him. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing after all.


	3. As It Stands

“So Connor,” Michaela began as she sat down in one of the five chairs around the room, “just how _did_ you manage to find a witness who would prove exactly the thing that Annalise wants them to?”

Connor smirked as he sat down, too, subtly tucking his Property notes into his bag. He had just photocopied them for Laurel and the girl was poring over them intensely as Wes and Asher joined the others in the living room of sorts. “Well, Michaela, if I told you that, I’d have to _kill_ you.”

She huffed. “Let’s all just pretend we don’t know exactly how you got him.”

“What makes you think it’s a man?”

“Well, obviously you _slept_ with him, and you’re gay, so it just sort of fits.”

Asher frowned. “Dude, you’re gay? Never would’ve known, I have to say.”

Connor rolled his eyes. “Not that it’s your business, Doucheface, but yes I am gay. Gay enough to know that you’re not going to have sex in the near future.”

Asher pouted unattractively. “Well that’s rude, bro. You know all the chicas wanna bounce on _this_.”

Connor and Michaela shook their heads at the same time. “No, Asher,” Michaela sighed.

“Not even if you were the only guy available,” Connor held his hands up. “Sorry, man. The penis wants what the penis wants.”

“And Connor’s penis wanted the very thing that would help Annalise to win the case, am I right?”

“No, actually. You’re very wrong. The witness hasn’t even seen all of this.”

“I feel like there was a ‘yet’ just waiting to be said.”

Connor popped his lips. “Nope. I’m bored with this line of questioning. May I ask you all how you’re feeling about next week’s Torts exam?”

Michaela pouted. “Just because you have the trophy doesn’t give you the right to taunt us!”

“Oh, I’m sitting the exam. I’m gonna kill it. Though I think I’ll save the trophy until I’m so busy kicking your asses that I don’t have time to study on top of that.”

Wes sighed. “Okay, we get it, Connor.”

“Sorry, waitlist, was I being rude?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

“You’re right. I should have waited for Laurel to get here before bragging.”

“You’re a dick,” Asher snapped before leaving the room.

* * *

Kurt rotated his ring around his finger, every rotation hurting just a little bit more than the last. He knew that he should probably take it off and throw it away. Or better yet, pawn it for cash now that he was out of a job.

He texted Liz to see how she was doing, but he got no reply.

He cleaned Connor’s apartment for a little while, but not so intrusively that he moved things out of their place. It needed a little spring clean, though Kurt guessed that Connor didn’t exactly have time for that kind of thing. He imagined that being a law student with a job was pretty taxing at the best of times.

In fact, Kurt thought about Connor mostly all day. Right up until the moment he returned.

“You’re still here?”

Kurt snorted. “Obviously.”

Connor chuckled. “You’ve definitely got over this hangover.”

“I didn’t really know what to do with my day. I cleaned up a little bit, I hope you don’t mind.”

He smiled. “Not at all. It just saves me doing it. I talked to Annalise and she wants you to come into the office tomorrow so you can be prepped for testimony.”

Kurt nodded. “I can do that.”

“Good. I was going to order some food for dinner.”

Kurt blinked. “Oh, right. Yeah, I’ll get out of your hair. I’ve overstayed my welcome.”

“Kurt, no. You’re missing the point. I was going to ask if you wanted to stay for dinner.”

“If you want me to, I don’t see why not.”

Connor nodded. He dumped his bag in his bedroom and tossed a menu to Kurt. “You like Chinese, right?”

“Definitely,” Kurt nodded, browsing the menu and repeating his order to Connor, who scribbled it on a spare piece of paper.

After they ordered, Connor appraised the situation in front of him.

Kurt had nowhere to go and Connor had a spare room. Connor was barely even there, so it wasn’t like it made a difference to him. He could go and get his things from his old house and find a new job and start to rebuild the life that the universe destroyed. Surely it was the right thing to do.

Connor had spent his entire life making the wrong choices, trusting the wrong people and finally he felt like his life was on a track that he could be proud of. He was making good decisions, doing well in school and being a person that he didn’t hate. More importantly, he felt like Kurt could be good for him. He would stop him sleeping around and wasting his potential; help to keep him grounded. Kurt, considering the situation he found himself in, seemed like a well put together person; something that Connor wanted to be.

So the next words that came from Connor’s mouth changed everything.

“You should move in with me.”

Kurt faltered, eyes lifeless and dull for once. “What? That’s crazy!”

“Is it? You don’t have anywhere, or at least that’s what you said last night. I have a spare room and I’m not even here most of the time. It could work. In fact, it’s ideal.”

Kurt scoffed. “Aside from the fact that I’ve known you for not even a full day! And I can’t contribute anything towards rent until I find a job!”

Connor waved him away. “I’ve more than enough in my savings to cover the rent and Annalise doesn’t pay too badly either. I’ve been doing it since I moved in. You wouldn’t have to pay a cent. Maybe spring for dinner a few times, but that’s it. Get yourself back on your feet, then if you want to move out, you can.”

Kurt sighed. “It does seem like a good idea. I’ll do it, at least for a trial run. If something’s not working, then I’ll figure something else out.”

“Fine by me,” Connor nodded, “so we can go and get your things after dinner.”

“Blaine’s home.”

“So?”

Kurt gritted his teeth even just thinking about his ex-fiancé. “He isn’t going to take too kindly to me moving all of my stuff out with someone he doesn’t know. We should wait until he’s out.”

Connor smirked. “What? And miss the opportunity to make him insanely jealous? I don’t think so. Besides, I have a few choice words for him anyway.”

“You don’t even know him.”

“I know what I need to,” Connor supplied. “In law school, you’re taught to judge people based on the information you have in front of you and that’s what I’ve done. He’s a lying, cheating bastard and needs to be told where he can go.”

“And I suppose you’re going to be the one to tell him?”

Connor nodded. “Yep. However acquainted we are, he shouldn’t be allowed to treat you like that.”

“Oh, my _hero_ ,” Kurt pretended to swoon as the takeout arrived.

Connor paid, despite Kurt’s protestations.

“You can get the next one,” Connor soothed, with absolutely no intention of letting Kurt pay for pretty much anything. He had money and plenty of it. Kurt was unemployed and searching for new meaning in life.

It was silent as they ate, Kurt looking around his new temporary home and Connor thinking about how different everything was no; he had someone in his life whom he could genuinely fall for given time and lacked the ability to express how he was feeling. Kurt had been single for not even twenty-four hours and he was predictably still into his ex and would be for a long while. Connor was in no position to make a move.

* * *

Two hours later, Connor’s SUV sat outside Blaine Anderson’s house as Kurt knocked on the front door, Connor in tow.

Blaine opened the door after a few seconds and smiled. “Kurt! You came back! I was going to call but I figured you wanted space but I’m glad we can get back to where we were…who is this?”

“Connor Walsh,” Connor growled shortly, eyebrow raised and a smirk in place. Blaine frowned.

“If this is your idea of payback, Kurt, it’s not funny.”

Kurt snorted. “Payback? Am I that petulant, Blaine? If I wanted to hurt you, I would’ve done so yesterday. I’m not so juvenile as to do the same thing that you did to me. I’m not coming back, Blaine. I’m just here to get my things.”

Blaine faltered and smirked evilly. “Where are you going to go then, Kurt? You have nobody left. I’m all you have! Your dad isn’t around, your friends don’t like you and your new slutty friend will leave you too once he knows exactly who you are!”

Kurt laughed, signalling to Connor that he shouldn’t rise to it. Connor, however, was dying to wipe that smile off Blaine’s face. “I’m not going to fall for that, Blaine. You know everything about me, of course you’d know what to say to get me angry, but I’m not going to rise to it. And don’t speak to Connor that way, he’s been nothing but nice to me ever since you ruined our relationship?”

Kurt shoved his way inside, starting for the stairs. Connor slipped inside before Blaine slammed the door.

“I was trying to _save_ this relationship, Kurt! It’s not my fault that you rarely let me fuck you!”

“So my supposed frigidity is what ruined this? You didn’t have to fuck that girl, Blaine, and god only knows how many other people you’ve cheated on me with!”

Blaine sighed. “Well I sure as hell wasn’t getting to fuck you anytime soon.”

Connor had had enough. As Kurt ascended the carpeted stairs, Connor pushed an arm against Blaine’s throat and his back slammed against the nearby wall. “You’re done here.”

Blaine choked against the arm as Kurt shouted for him to stop.

“Connor, don’t!”

Connor reluctantly released him and dusted himself down. “You’re lucky your ex has good morals or else I would’ve broken a few ribs.”

“You’re insane!” Blaine panted, still trying to sound brave.

Kurt tossed most of his things into several suitcases and tried to conserve some space while Connor laughed.

“No, Blaine, you’re the insane one here. For you to cheat on a guy like Kurt? That’s beyond comprehension. It’s just plain _stupid_. And way to go for not telling him that you’re bisexual. That’s a real winner.”

Blaine rolled his eyes. “He’s just fucking you to get back at me. Once he’s done with you, he’ll toss you aside. It wouldn’t be the first time.”

“We’re not fucking, Blaine. Seriously, I met him at a bar and he was too drunk to even walk. He crashed at my place. I’m not that cheap as to fuck a guy on the night he breaks off an engagement.”

“Kurt and I are not breaking up!”

Kurt rolled his cases down the stairs, Blaine jumping out of the way of them. “Is this a clear enough message for you, Blaine? Or do I need to get it in skywriting first for you to actually take it all in? I’m. Moving. Out. We’re over.”

“Kurt, you can’t!”

“I most certainly can! And I am. Good riddance, Blaine. Have fun with your cheap hoes.”

Blaine growled. “I’ll tell everyone about November 16th! I swear to god, I will!”

Kurt winced slightly, enough for Connor to notice. He didn’t point it out, though. If Kurt wanted to talk, he would. “Go ahead. See who believes you.”

As soon as Kurt slammed the door, it was over, and his past was now separated from his future. And each moment of his future was as painfully unclear as his past.


	4. I Like Him

To say that Connor was extremely nervous about Annalise Keating meeting his roommate slash new obsession was the understatement of the millennium.

Because it wasn’t just Annalise meeting him, it was Bonnie and Frank and the rest of the students. Laurel _knew_ , which was just all kinds of bad. Michaela, Doucheface and Waitlist had no idea who he was, even if Michaela suspected he had bedded him despite Connor’s protestations. He had a reputation among the group for a reason and Connor just knew that they wouldn’t believe him even if Kurt admitted they didn’t sleep together. That was the way of the group. A leopard never changes its spots, that kind of thing. Nobody believed that a guy like Connor was even halfway capable of change. That was where they underestimated him just as much as they did Laurel.

Kurt, too, was extremely nervous. These were Connor’s friends, plus the thought of being pressed to give answers that made the truth work for them. His mind travelled back to the first part. He didn’t understand why he cared so much about meeting Connor’s friends. They were just new friends, right? Friends of a friend.

So why did he care so much about whether they liked him or not? He definitely shouldn’t have worried so much. It wasn’t like he was meeting his boyfriend’s friends. From what Kurt gathered, Connor only really liked one of his fellow students working for Annalise, a girl called Laurel. He was sure that Laurel knew about him, though how much she knew was debatable.

Most of all, Kurt was nervous to meet Annalise Keating.

Her reputation spoke for itself. Her tenacity and quick wit in the courtroom was incredibly popular around the Middleton campus and everybody knew about her. Kurt knew that she didn’t tolerate fools. Kurt wasn’t one, but recounting the events of the shooting turned him into a jabbering wreck. He hoped she would read his lack of composure and combat it with the necessary levels of compassion. It wasn’t incredibly likely, but it could happen.

The ride from Connor’s apartment to the Keating law office was filled with Connor shooting off facts about his boss, telling Kurt what or what not to do to get on the wrong side of her. Kurt had pointed out that he was there to prepare for testimony, not for a social gathering. Connor had conceded that but mentioned that the strength of Kurt’s appearance in front of her also reflected on his skills. And he couldn’t really afford any more mistakes. After his first big fuck up, well there were no more chances if he messed up again. Annalise had made that silently clear during their first day. Two mistakes meant that they were out. Hopefully, Connor had redeemed himself with presenting Kurt to win the case, but he couldn’t be sure.

“You’re really nervous about this, aren’t you?” Kurt tilted his head as he watched Connor tap his fingers against the steering wheel.

“Pretty much. I made a massive fuck up during our first case that made Annalise lose a major client. Let’s just say that everything I do from this point on is me walking on thin ice.”

Kurt swallowed. “I’ll try not to disappoint.”

And he tried.

And succeeded.

As Annalise fired questions at him, Kurt answered them quickly and honestly, something that Annalise loved. It showed truth and composure under pressure.

“Did you ever think about confronting the customer yourself?”

Kurt paused this time and he suspected that Annalise was testing him with that particular question. “You know that people say you’ll only know whether you choose fight or flight in that particular situation, they’re sometimes wrong. I didn’t know what to do. It was self-preservation versus wondering whether Liz could handle it herself. I chose the former.”

“Good,” Annalise said quickly, “you’re proving your rationality.”

“Won’t they think I’m selfish for protecting myself?”

Asher snorted. “Definitely.”

Connor glared at him. “Pipe down, Doucheface.”

Asher faltered and Frank smirked at them.

“Thank you for that unhelpful assessment, Mr. Millstone. No, Kurt. People understand that sometimes you do what’s necessary to save yourself. It’s completely normal, don’t worry about that.”

Laurel watched the scene passively, wondering what Annalise saw in Kurt that made her be nice. She wasn’t usually this nice to witnesses. Maybe she sensed something in him that made him different. He had certainly an aura about him, she thought. If he had whipped Connor, metaphorically of course, then he must be special. She smirked, watching Connor’s expression glaze over as he looked at Kurt. Connor was so into him that it hurt. She shook her head as she felt Frank’s leering gaze wash over her. She resisted the urge to look back and concentrated on the witness prep. Annalise would probably want to ask them questions about the strategy that she was already planning.

As the questioning quickly came to a conclusion, Annalise thanked Kurt for his cooperation and told him that Connor would tell him when his presence would be needed in court. As Annalise retreated to her office, Bonnie quickly following, the others gathered around Kurt and Connor.

“You okay?” Connor checked quickly.

“Yeah,” Kurt nodded, “Annalise isn’t half as intimidating as you make her out to be.”

Laurel hid a smirk as Frank rolled his eyes. Annalise’s persona was just that and most people decided to ignore that fact and concentrate on what they saw in front of them. Frank _knew_ Annalise and he knew that the person underneath the sharp exterior was somebody worth fighting for. Not many people knew the real Annalise, but those who did knew that she was somebody you wanted on your side.

Michaela, Wes and Asher were flicking through their notes while Frank busied himself with some emails that he had left until the last minute to reply to. Laurel turned to Kurt.

“Hey, I’m Laurel, Connor’s smarter and more attractive best friend.”

Kurt smiled. “I would say that I’ve heard about you, but Connor hasn’t said a word about his friends.”

“Oh, there’s no plural. The other three think he’s obnoxious and smarmy.”

Connor scowled. “They’d be right. I don’t stand for mediocrity in my inner circle anyway.”

“Okay Voldemort,” Laurel rolled her eyes, “anyway Kurt, I was thinking that we should all go for a drink one night after the trial. It’d be nice to get to know you better.”

“I like the sound of that, thanks Laurel,” Kurt replied smoothly as Laurel smiled brightly and walked into Annalise’s office, not missing how Frank stared at her…again. It was becoming unsettling, but she wasn’t going to pretend like she wasn’t a little interested.

Frank was hot and she liked the air of mystery that surrounded him. He was clearly displaying interest in her and she wasn’t the type to turn down an advance from a guy she could maybe one day possibly think about liking.

 

Kurt drove Connor’s SUV home at the latter’s request and began to unpack his things while taking up as little space as he possibly could.

Connor, however, was stood in Annalise’s office, the woman having called him in, probably to discuss Kurt.

“You wanted to speak with me, Annalise?”

“Yes. Sit down, please, Mr. Walsh.”

Annalise clasped her hands together and sighed. “You know, I think you’re the only one of your group who actually listens to constructive advice. When I gave you that trophy on the first day, it was because I thought you showed outstanding promise. I stand by that reasoning.”

Connor blinked uncertainly. “But I screwed up the assault case so you almost lost. If you were any other lawyer, that guy would have gotten away with it.”

Annalise shrugged. “Possibly. But it was your first case. You worked harder on it than the others and it was a simple mistake. I know I was hard on you at the time, but I think you needed that. You’ve been an asset ever since that case. Finding Kurt was some of your finest work. Now I’m not going to ask how you found him and I don’t want to know, but keep it up.”

Connor chuckled. “Why does everybody seem to think I hooked up with him?”

“I wouldn’t complain if you did. Sometimes we have to use whatever tools we have at our disposal to secure witness participation. But I like him, he seems very sure of himself. And I can tell that there’s something between the two of you. Whenever he wasn’t looking at me, he was looking at you, and that wasn’t because he was nervous.” She raised an eyebrow pointedly, Connor blushing under her fierce gaze.

“You don’t miss a lot, do you?”

“It’s my job to pick up on the small details in every situation. You’ll understand when you’ve got your own firm one day. Now get out of here before Miss Pratt decides I’m giving you special treatment. I’m sure she has a lot of teasing to do.”

Connor groaned. “Thanks, Annalise.”

“Keep up the good work, Mr. Walsh.”

As Connor left the room, Annalise wracked her brain for the last time she saw Kurt Hummel.

Like a bolt of lightning, it hit her. Picking up her phone, she dialled the second number on her speed dial.

“Nate, it’s me. I’ve found him.”


	5. Band Together

Connor, Kurt and Laurel went out that night, to the same bar where Kurt and Connor met. The boys shared a smirk while Laurel ordered them vodka tonics. Kurt never usually drank the mixer, but he made an exception. He quite liked Laurel and wanted to get to know her more. Who was he to refuse a drink from her? Especially when she was paying.

And spending some more time with Connor outside of their apartment wasn’t such a bad thing to do, either.

When Kurt evaluated his friendship with Connor, he found that he couldn’t really label it. They lived together, Connor was kind of batting for him and seemed to have figured out quite a little bit about him, but Connor didn’t really _know_ him. Kurt showed him a certain persona, but his past was an entirely different story. He was quite worried that Blaine had ruined everything by talking about that one November 16 th, the worst day of his life until the shooting happened, maybe even including the shooting. But Connor had bypassed it and had not mentioned it to him. Connor was a lawyer in training, though, he probably knew how to keep his cards close to his chest until he needed to show them.

That was something Kurt did, too, but maybe too much. Unless he was drunk, he didn’t tend to share too much.

Kurt realised then that he knew about as much about Connor as he did about Laurel.

That would definitely have to change at some point. Not now, but when Laurel wasn’t around. It was something that Kurt would have to take up with Connor himself, probably in the apartment.

“So you’re out of a job? Just like that?” Laurel frowned, sipping her vodka and diet coke slowly as Kurt told the full story of his recent past and how he met Connor.

“And an engagement,” Kurt confirmed, “though I’m more glad about the latter. Infidelity is not something I condone. Not by anybody for any reason. And lying about your sexuality to your boyfriend when you _know_ it is inexcusable. I mean, they’re committing to a lie. And then he _proposes_? Who _does_ that?”

Laurel smirked. “Nobody I know. Then again, I’m pretty sure I have four friends. And three of them have no time for me. So I’m stuck with this one.”

“Is that like a given thing that you’re working too hard for friends?”

“Definitely,” Laurel replied, “if Annalise needs us at the office, we have to drop whatever we’re doing and come in. People don’t usually like it if you ditch them at the last minute. But Connor understands that, so it’s okay.”

“And the other three? They don’t seem like they’re all that friendly with you.”

Connor shrugged. “Wes is alright. He’s a little too quiet for me to deal with, but he’s not a bad guy. Asher and Michaela are the exact polar opposite of Wes. Michaela is loud and brassy. She’s too audacious to be a good lawyer, I think. She’s definitely smart enough, but I reckon her clients would leave because she annoyed them too much.

“Asher is just a douche. There’s a reason we call him Doucheface. Every time we’re on a case, he makes an inappropriate comment either towards the client or about the client whenever they’re in earshot. Nobody can deal with him, not even Michaela.”

Laurel nodded. “But mine and Connor’s friendship sort of forces them to be friends. Wes is always kind of isolated, which I don’t think he minds too much.”

“Makes sense,” Kurt commented indifferently.

They chatted away, each one of them getting drunker by the seconds, telling random stories from their past. Laurel talked about her belligerent father and how she had been basically ignored by her family who hadn’t called her since the day before enrolment at Middleton. Connor talked about his douchebag ex-boyfriend Kyle who had cheated on him and belittled him until his breaking point. Kurt talked about being the only out gay kid in Lima for a long time and how that had impacted his desire for greater things that small town Ohio. Laurel found that she quite liked Kurt and knew that he would be good for Connor in the long run if they both stopped being coy and clicked onto the fact that they were super into each other.

A short time before they were leaving, their merry trio was interrupted by a drunk guy stumbling his way over to their table.

“Hey, Alex!” He yelled at them, even though he was fairly close to them.

“Is he talking to you?” Connor frowned at Kurt.

Kurt shrugged. “I’m sorry, you have the wrong person. I’m not the Alex you’re searching for.”

“What are you talking about? It’s me, Jared! Are you seriously saying that you don’t remember me?” The guy insisted on continuing.

“Given that my name isn’t Alex, I’d say you were way off. You should get back to your friends.”

“But—.”

Connor sighed, standing up. “Look, he said leave, okay? I think you should do exactly that before you say something you’ll regret.”

“Whatever.”

He wandered back over to his friends and sat down, shrugging.

“What was that about?”

“Beats me. A case of mistaken identity, I guess. I have no idea who Alex is and I don’t intend to find out.”

“He really seemed like he knew you.” Connor frowned.

Kurt tipped his head back and finished his drink. “Well, I don’t know him, okay? Can we just…not talk about it anymore?”

“Sure. I actually have a lead on a job for you if you’re interested,” Laurel suggested, glad to change the subject from the budding tension between the boys.

Kurt chuckled. “Connor, if you even begin to mention street corners, I’m pouring this vodka on your favourite pants.”

“I wasn’t going to, even though you’d look so hot in those tight leather pants.” Connor began picturing Kurt in said leather pants, again glad for the detailed imagination he possessed.    

“Moving on,” Laurel smirked, “my friend Kan knows a guy who needs a secretary. Kan asked me but I’m definitely too busy for that.”

Kurt chuckled. “So I’m getting your sloppy seconds? Actually, that sounds great. I can save up some cash to start finding a place and then explore my options.”

Connor thought it best to say nothing about his strenuous objections to that statement until they were alone.

“I’ll put in a good word for you and give him your number so he can call you about it.”

“Thank you, Laurel. You’re a good friend.”

Laurel blushed, shrugging. “It’s the least I can do. You stopped Michaela from getting credit for this case. She’s been looking to do that ever since we started working for Annalise and, so far, she’s come up blank despite proclaiming that she has a way of collecting witnesses.”

Connor patted Kurt’s shoulder. “I’m just lucky that Kurt has a low alcohol tolerance.”

“I do not!” Kurt protested fiercely. Laurel knew that it was the alcohol speaking rather than Kurt. “I was upset and you totally took advantage.”

“You were more than happy to compliment me and blab your life story. I was just providing a listening ear and a place for you to crash.”

Laurel smirked. “Kinda sounds like a pick up tactic.”

Connor shook his head proudly. “If I wanted to pick Kurt up, I could have.”

Kurt giggled. “Try it. Go over there and pretend you’re meeting me for the first time. Laurel can be the judge because I’ve had way too much vodka to be impartial.”

Laurel nodded. “Game on.”

Connor approached from the other side of the bar, game face on. He knew what to do. Remind Kurt of when they first met. “Is this seat taken?”

Kurt smirked, flashing back to their first conversation where Connor had said exactly the same thing. “Be my guest.”

“So how come I haven’t seen you around here before.” Connor decided to use some of Kurt’s lines to throw him off.

Kurt shrugged, enjoying the play-acting. “I guess you’re just unfortunate that way.”

“Clearly I was wrong when I said that nobody hot ever comes in here.”

Laurel snorted.

“Clearly,” Kurt echoed.

“So where’s your boyfriend? A guy like you surely has to be taken.”

Kurt had to hand it to Connor, he was smooth. Not as much in what he said but how he said it. His smirk game was on point and that was coming from Kurt who pretty much smirked his way through high school. “No boyfriend. Where’s yours?”

“Touché. So it’s good if I buy you a drink?”

Kurt folded. “Okay, you win. If circumstances were different, I would have gone home with you the first time we met.”

Laurel chuckled. “Don’t forget, Kurt, you’re going home with him tonight anyway.”

Kurt smirked. “I suppose that’s true.”

“Yes, thank you, Laurel,” Connor said quickly.

Laurel saw the glint in Kurt’s eyes and decided that it was time for her to break up the party. “Sorry, boys, but a girl’s gotta get her beauty sleep.”

Saying her goodbyes, Laurel stood up, maintaining a modicum of stability and discreetly looked at her phone, seeing the message displayed so clearly on the screen. She knew that she couldn’t turn it down.

_The door’s open for you… - Frank x_

Laurel smirked to herself and decided it was about time she acted on the feelings she had been having for quite a while now, feminist or not.

Connor and Kurt decided that it was high time they got themselves home, too, and walked back in silence. They would occasionally exchange small glances when the other wasn’t looking, but that was about as much as it got. There was so much tension rapidly building in their minds because of the alcohol that it was becoming too much for them to the deny.

There was chemistry there, they both knew that. They both wanted to act on that chemistry but had been holding back until Kurt was in a more stable place after his breakup with Blaine. Kurt had started to consider Blaine as little more than a blip on the radar of his past. Connor was quickly becoming a prominent part of his life, more than just a roommate. And that was slightly frightening, considering how little time they had spent together in relation to how long forming connections usually took for Kurt. He had been alone for so long that letting someone in took quite a while, especially with Blaine’s recent antics.

* * *

Once they were home, Kurt turned to Connor.

“Hey, thank you for being with me today, through the witness prep. I know it’s your job, but it was nice to have you there for support.”

“You know I would have been there anyway. Wait…I know what you’re doing.”

“What am I doing?” Kurt stepped closer to him.

“You’re making me feel good about myself so that you can…”

Kurt smirked and slid his hand around Connor’s neck so that it rested on the back. “So that I can…”

Connor pushed himself onto Kurt’s lips, a gesture which was very well received by the latter.

Kurt lifted himself into Connor’s arms, legs coiling around his waist. Connor supporting himself while kicking his bedroom door open, slamming it carelessly.

* * *

_Two Weeks Later_

Kurt stared at the ground in horror, the blood steadily spreading across the floor.

“Oh my God!” He heard someone gasp quietly.

He looks at the faces of those around him but one, all of them as shocked as he is.

“Anyone know the best way to move a dead body?” Asher whispered to nobody’s concern, although he did raise a good point. It wasn’t heard.

“What are we going to do?!” Michaela shrieked.

“Shut up, Michaela!” Wes admonished fiercely.

Connor braced himself, his arm around Kurt’s waist, holding him closer.

Laurel just stared at the scene and wondered how wanting to help the less fortunate had led her to this exact moment, right now, staring at a corpse and knowing that she would have to cover up a murder.


	6. Unfurl

Kurt rolled himself over, pushing up onto his stomach. “Do you have to work today?”

Connor kissed his neck from behind, wrapping his arms around him. “Annalise gave me the day off. Says I’ve been working too hard and I need a break. Really, I think she wants me to babysit you all day. And I don’t mind in the least.”

Kurt scoffed. “I don’t know if I should be flattered that she’s thinking about me or insulted that she’s underestimating me.”

Connor waved it away. “Annalise underestimates everyone. She still thinks that Laurel is a wallflower.”

“Are you kidding me? She’s sassy as hell.”

“Laurel wants it to be that way. Underestimation is always better than overestimation. It’s less pressure.”

“She was chosen for a reason, though,” Kurt nodded, “like Annalise must have seen something in her to pick her.”

“She did,” Connor explained, “and it shows. Anyone who sees Laurel in an academic light knows that she’s the smartest one out of all of us. And that’s not me making her seem better because she’s my friend.”

“I can see that. So, tell me, why did Annalise pick you, do you think?”

Connor shrugged. “She needed some eye candy in the office.”

Kurt snorted. “I don’t know, I mean Frank’s pretty hot.”

“We just fucked and you’re already jumping onto other guys?” Connor smirked. “You’re underplaying how good last night was for you. I know it was the best you’ve ever had.”

“You’re sure of yourself,” Kurt observed, “but with reason. Eight is definitely great.”

“Told you,” Connor chuckled, kissing Kurt’s shoulders and back.

“Do you find it weird that we don’t really know anything about each other? We live together, we’re…having sex with each other, yet we know barely anything about each other. I don’t think that’s healthy going forward, do you? Details are important”

Connor turned him around so that they were facing. “You know you can ask me anything. Anything you want to know, full disclosure, I promise. And you’ll do the same?”

Kurt nodded. “When’s your birthday?”

Connor raised an eyebrow. “Seriously? You get any question and you pick my _birthday_?”

“Details,” Kurt reminded him.

Connor rolled his eyes. “April 6th. Yours?”

“October 12th. You have siblings?”

“Nope,” Connor replied lazily. “You?”

“A step brother back in Ohio.”

“What happened on November 16th?”

Kurt froze, ice creeping along his veins, chilling his blood. “What did you just say?” He snapped harshly.

Connor’s eyes widened and he knew that he had struck a nerve and wandered into dangerous territory. “Blaine mentioned it. I sensed you probably didn’t want to talk about it, so I stayed quiet. I thought maybe you might want to talk about it in a safe place…to me?”

Kurt shook his head, tears quickly filling his eyes. “I swore to myself that I would never talk about that day ever again. It’s not exactly something I’m going to add to my resume.”

“We’ve all done bad things, Kurt. It doesn’t make us bad people.”

“Sure, jaywalking and petty blackmail doesn’t make you a bad person. What I did…it’s bad. I just want to remove it from my memory. It’s not that I don’t trust you or anything, I just really would rather not talk about a part of my past that just makes me want to curl up in a ball and forget it ever happened. I’m sure there’s something you don’t want to tell _me_.”

“I was in an abusive relationship,” Connor replied frankly. Kurt’s head snapped up and he gasped, wiping his tears away. Connor smiled at that gesture, that Kurt would stop his sadness to register his own, but also realised that this was a way for Kurt to deflect. He guessed for now that it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. He knew he could trust Kurt with something that he hadn’t even told Laurel.

“This is the ex you mentioned when we first met?”

Connor nodded silently. “It started out as minor, really. So much so that I didn’t even register it. He asked for my phone every day to check my texts. He stopped me from leaving the house on weekends when I wasn’t in classes. One time I refused and he hit me. Apparently, that was my fucking warning, that I should never disrespect him again. I was young and in love, and I was also stupid as hell. I took that as him caring about me, wanting me to be around more to spend time with me.”

“Oh, Connor,” Kurt stroked his knee, but the story wasn’t over.

“It got to the point where I was almost conditioned to expect a beating. There was one time…I’m not proud of this…but I purposely stepped out of line.”

“So that he would beat you,” Kurt finished when he realised that Connor couldn’t. “You thought that he wasn’t showing you affection because he hadn’t hit you. So you went looking for it.”

Connor nodded. “I know, it sounds stupid. I should’ve got out of there as soon as I knew what was happening. But he had this insane hold over me that I can’t really explain. It took me a while to get back to myself afterwards, but here I am. You helped a lot, actually. I feel safe with you.”

Kurt smiled. “I’m glad that I can make you feel safe. I’ll never hurt you like that, Connor. You know that, right?”

“I do. Thank you, Kurt. And, for the record, I’ll never cheat on you.”

“Hold up, did we just become boyfriends?” Kurt frowned.

“I think we did. Though after what just went down in this bed, I’d assume that was a given.”

Connor smirked. “Maybe we ought to celebrate. You know, christen the beginning of our relationship the best way we know how.”

“Are you sure? After what we’ve just discussed?”

Connor nodded once more. “You were right. Sometimes you just want to forget. How about you forget with me right here in bed?”

Kurt chuckled. “I can’t say no to that.” And he really couldn't.

* * *

“I want to tell you everything,” Kurt muttered as they got dressed. He realised that Connor wouldn’t judge him, even if he did consider himself a terrible person for what he did. And he didn’t put it past Blaine telling people out of bitterness, so he thought it best to tell Connor first, so he could pre-empt him finding out through any other means that might twist the story slightly.

“If you’re comfortable, I’m here to listen. If not, that’s not important.”

Kurt sat on the armchair. “Will you sit?”

Connor obliged, perching next to him in case Kurt needed his support. He figured that he would. “Of course. Take your time and know that anything you say is between you and me, okay?”

“Spoken like a true lawyer,” Kurt shot back.

“I do try.”

Kurt took a deep breath. “November 16th was a big day for me and I—.”

Kurt stopped talking as the door flew open.

Blaine pushed his way in, determination and bitterness written all over his face. “Kurt!”

Kurt blinked the confusion away, holding Connor in place. “Blaine, what the hell?”

“It’s about time I got you back.”


	7. His Past Revealed

Kurt scoffed immediately. “Oh,  _ please _ , Blaine. Even you aren’t this dramatic. To burst in here to try and win me back is something you know isn’t possible. I’m completely done with you.” 

Blaine tried his best not to look extremely hurt by that statement and let a slow smile spread across his face. A smile that Connor thought should have been kind and warm, but he knew it was filled with manipulation and thinly veiled malice. “You know we belong together.”

Kurt waved a hand. “A few months ago I might have said so, too. Before I found out that you would have never committed fully to me. What kind of person strings someone along for that amount of time, anyway?” 

“I wasn’t stringing you along, I love you.” 

Kurt snorted loudly. “You don’t love me. Maybe once you did but you soon realised that I was willing to do anything for you, as we both know very well. You liked that I was completely committed to you. One thing I noticed about you, Blaine Anderson, is that there’s nothing you love more than attention.”

“That’s not true!” 

“Oh,  _ please _ , Blaine,” Kurt echoed, “you love when people are all about you. Back in Ohio, at high school, you literally used to jump on tables during Glee numbers just so that everybody would be looking at you. Even if you weren’t singing lead, you’d make yourself stand out for elongated periods of time.”

“High school was a long time ago. We’re both so much different than we were. You’re not as mopey as you were back then, I’m not as egotistical. We’ve  _ grown _ and we did that together. As a couple.”

“No. I grew  _ by myself _ . I made myself a better person because I wanted to be one. You don’t get to take credit for the amazing person I am now! Besides, even if I did want you back, there’s no way in hell that I could ever trust you again. Are you going to explain away like you do with every other accusation anyone’s ever hurled at you?” 

“I don’t know what I was thinking, Kurt. What happened was a momentarily lapse in judgement. I’ve always loved you, you know that. Ever since junior year, you’re the one I’ve wanted.”

“Oh really? So you didn’t want Sam?”

“Don’t mention his name!” 

“Because you know you’ve been caught out, Blaine.”

“You liked him too!”

“That was months before I even  _ met _ you. God, how stupid  _ are _ you?” 

Blaine stepped forward, but was stopped when Connor stood up. 

“You take one more step and I swear to god, I’ll punch you so hard your head will spin all the way around.” 

“So  _ this _ is the reason you won’t be with me? Some trashy slut who won’t even commit to you in the long term? Yeah, I’ve done my research.” He turned to Connor. “And I don’t think you should be anywhere  _ near _ Kurt.” 

“Yeah, well Kurt has obviously chosen to stay with me, hasn’t he? And he hasn’t gone back to you. What does that tell you, Blaine? He. Doesn’t. Want. You. So get the message sharpish before you embarrass yourself even more than you already have.” 

“Embarrass  _ myself _ ?” Blaine roared. “Kurt is the one embarrassing himself here!”

“Oh, I’d love for you to tell me how, but I honestly don’t want to listen to you for a second longer. If I were you Blaine, I would leave before one of us kicks you out.” Connor clenched his jaw and his fists menacingly. Kurt was surprised at how threatening Connor could actually be. 

“I’m not leaving.” 

Kurt had had  _ enough _ . 

“Hit the road, Blaine. I’m not asking you this time. I am never being with you ever again. You had too many chances. You will never have my heart again and you should stop trying. It’s pathetic and it will not get you anywhere. And don’t bother doing your usual bit and threatening to expose my secret to Connor to drive him away.”

Blaine’s eyes widened. 

“You seem surprised, Blaine. Surprised that I could trust somebody with that other than you. You’re not the entire universe, contrary to your self-proclaimed beliefs. So you’re going to  _ leave _ and I’m never going to speak with you ever again.” 

Blaine seemed to register Kurt’s word as final and nodded slightly. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” 

“It’s not worth anything to me,” Kurt snapped to his retreating back. 

Blaine stopped in his tracks for a few seconds before continuing out the door and shutting it behind him. 

“Man, that guy doesn’t know how to stop digging himself in a hole.”

Kurt waved a hand. “He’s always been like this. Unrelenting as much as he is arrogant. It’s a deadly combination, really. Enough about Blaine, I’m done with that part of my life. So…where were we?”

Connor smiled a raw smile. Exposed. “As much as I’d love to say that we were in the middle of something kinky, it’s not to be. You were telling me about that night.” 

Kurt sighed. “Yeah. Okay, no backing down now. No distractions, just truth.”

“I’m here for you, Kurt. Take as long as you need.”

Kurt took a deep breath before beginning. “Something you need to understand before hearing the story is how horrible high school was for me. Even before I realised my sexuality, I always knew that I was somehow different to the rest of the other kids. Mainly the boys. I didn’t how to spiral throw a football, I didn’t want to see what trouble Batman was getting up to. I was learning how to combine clothes to make nice outfits and I was always a Wonder Woman fan.” 

Connor smiled at that. 

“I know, right? Stereotype! Anyway, it seemed that the moment I realised I liked boys, the rest of the world did too. Coming to terms with something that everybody else is telling you is an abomination isn’t something I was quite ready for. My mother hadn’t long passed away and my father was...well, he was distant, at best. 

“This continued all through middle school and then all the way through high school. It came to a head on two separate occasions. Junior year and senior year. Junior year was a complete mess, some beefy jock convinced himself that bullying me would make him straight again.”

Connor nodded, having experienced the same at his school. “Let me guess: he made a move on you?”

Kurt nodded sadly. “I was never quite the same afterwards. It was only a kiss, but it was my first kiss. He took that from me, something that I had always thought was so special. I’ve never quite been able to get the taste of him out of my mouth, no matter how hard I’ve tried. It’s stayed with me. Eventually, he transferred schools and there was a new ringleader.”

“There’s always a replacement,” Connor added grimly. 

“Well I thought the storm had passed,” Kurt continued heavily. “Things had calmed somewhat, but the same ignorant, prejudiced kids were present. This new guy, I never even knew his name. They just called him “X”. He was a senior transfer and I never shared any classes with him. It seemed that only the faculty knew his real name.

“So “X” stepped up the game, taking everything just one step too far. He began following me home, he even introduced himself to my dad, convincing him that we were lab partners. So I was freaked out and I told my best friend about it. I asked Sam not to say anything, but he must have done without me knowing because “X” was furious.”

“God Kurt, what did he do to you?”

Kurt shook his head. “Nothing. At least nothing to warrant what happened. I took a shortcut through the park one day after school when I thought he wasn’t following me. But he was. I had had enough and I confronted him. Not the best thing to do after the junior year incident, but I was running on adrenaline and fury, mind you. 

“So we had it out and words were exchanged. I pushed him and he pushed me back. It was all very elementary school until I pushed him just a little too hard. He...he…” 

Connor rubbed Kurt’s back, soothing him, yet urging him to let it out. He seemed to need to tell the story, even if he didn’t really want to. Sometimes it was necessary to talk about things. Connor’s mind silently pointed out the irony of that particular statement, but he said nothing, waiting for Kurt to continue. 

“His head hit the slide and he fell to the floor. He was bleeding, he wasn’t moving! I didn’t know what to do. I called the ambulance and said that he had tripped while we were walking.”

Connor swallowed heavily. “Was he okay?”

“He died in the ambulance. They had ruled out foul play as they believed my story, but I’ve felt nothing but guilt ever since. I killed a person, Connor. I don’t know how to even cope with that. It’s been  _ years _ and I still haven’t dealt with it. The incident in the store brought it all back to the surface and it’s always on my mind now. There’s no way to escape it.”

Connor hugged him tightly, whispering into his ear. “You’re okay, Kurt. You’re always safe with me.”

“I know I am,” he replied easily. “One reason I was so drawn to you was that I never thought about it when I was with you. You seem to distract me just enough to make me forget. I know that nothing bad is ever going to happen to me while you’re around.”

* * *

 

_ Two Weeks Later  _

“So what exactly  _ are _ we going to do?” Connor muttered when the air had stilled. 

Asher blinked, stunned at the events that had unfolded around him. “It’s obvious, isn’t it?”

Michaela turned to him, shocked. “I”m sorry, Dexter Morgan, for the rest of us, this is our first  _ murder _ so excuse us if we’re slightly in the dark about how to handle this properly!”

Kurt sighed softly. “Michaela, shouting at Asher isn’t going to help us. We need to think rationally about this.”

Michaela’s head whipped around so quickly that Wes was surprised that she didn’t have whiplash. “Oh and what do  _ you _ know? You’re only here because you’re fucking Connor.”

“Don’t speak to him like that, Michaela,” Connor snapped, Laurel echoing similar sentiments. 

Kurt shook his head. “No, it’s fine. We’re all in shock. What were you going to say, Asher?”

“We have to move the body and clean the bloodstain.”

Laurel turned her head away. “He’s right. There can’t be anything to tie us to this.”

Kurt swallowed. He didn’t want to be the one to point out that he was always going to be tied to this, no matter what happened with the body. A tear slipped down his face at the sight of the body, wondering exactly how they were all going to get out of this. 


End file.
